People are increasingly using devices such as portable computing devices to perform a variety of tasks. As an example, an increasing number of devices include what are referred to as “front facing” cameras, or cameras that are on the same side of the device as a display element, which enables a user to perform tasks such as self-portrait capture, video conferencing, and video chat. In many of these devices, the front facing camera is intended to be relatively low resolution, due in part to the nature of the tasks generally performed with such a camera. Due to cost, space, and power savings issues as well, the front facing camera is generally intended to be relatively small and inexpensive. Such a design can have various limitations, as the camera can be relatively sensitive to lighting conditions due to the limited sensitivity and other such aspects. While a light source can be added or used to provide light when needed to improve the quality of image capture, such usage can be a significant drain on battery life and in many cases can be undesirable to the user looking in the general direction of the light source.